


I Could not Stop for Death

by snowydragon



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Character Study, F/F, Gen, Supergirl (TV 2015) Season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:22:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29794614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowydragon/pseuds/snowydragon
Summary: This work is intended as an interlude between Seasons 3 and 4. What if we experienced the emotional journey of Kara accepting her true self, Kara Zor-El?
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 10
Kudos: 28





	1. Prologue

Kara did not need sleep. Well, she didn’t need as much sleep as humans or even some other alien species. A lot of the time she would read books or watch the Studio Ghibli films Alex loathed. How was _My Neighbor Totoro_ weird? Other nights she would be training or taking care of minor crimes the DEO didn’t track. It was helping people and it was what she did. Other times she would fly or float, staring up at the cosmos above, cape flapping around her, since she wasn’t resting on her back in the park, but in the sky. Sometimes she would close her eyes and let the sounds and rhythms of the world fully hit her system, let the cacophony of noise flood her system. It was close to the energy that flowed through her when she would allow her other powers free, be it her strength, her speed of flight, or her heat vision. In some ways, this was the power she controlled the most. Controlling her strength or sense of smell had become more automatic for her, but sound, sound had a way of slipping past her coping mechanisms. It was almost a relief to let them loose.

In some ways, it felt like a form of meditation. Especially on a night like today. So much was going on between the tension with Lena, that she couldn’t seem to shake wanting to fix, to everything that happened with Reign, and returning to Argo City to re connect with her mother. For all that the world’s sounds could be overwhelming, it felt like swimming in the ocean compared to the hardest fight that had come her way yet. She was also worried, was there something that she was missing? Reign separating from Sam seemed almost too easy. Kara thought back to earlier, once they got Sam back to the DEO to be checked over and get some rest, while under observation.

“Are we sure this is it? Alex asked, looking to Supergirl. as they stood in the hallway with J’onn, Lena, Mon-el, and Winn.

“The separation happened, but there is still the potential ‘magical’ element,” Lena looked at Supergirl as she said this, “something we missed,” Lena then added, seeing that one side of Supergirl’s lips had quirked up at the word ‘magical.’

“Reign was also holding the power of multiple Worldkillers,” Kara pointed out crossing her arms. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, some piece of lore.

“Hmm,” J’onn rubbed his chin. “Perhaps, we should keep an eye on Sam?” His eyes meeting Lena’s across from him. Lena nodded, “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“I’ll keep all the news alerts up and monitor them.” Winn added while tapping at a few items on his tablet.

Kara nodded, though her brow crinkled, as things were still not feeling quite right. She knew this was all they could do for now. She really did want to see her mother again.

She couldn’t help but feel she was overthinking the Worldkillers and Reign because she was nervous about this visit with her mother. Kara took a deep breath, trying to clear her min- her eyes popped fully open, the sound of a cauldron of bats flying out of a cave in the mountains, pulled her away from her worrisome thoughts. She turned her head toward the bats, though they were hundreds of miles away and just listened to them for a while. Eventually, she looked back up at the stars and, slowly, let her eyes close, falling into the in-between she favored when she had enough sleep, but had no desire to be up. The myriad sounds of the world washing over her.

“Are you sure you want to go on your own? J’onn asked holding the cars keys out to Kara, the next day, after all the going away celebrations. 

“I’m sure, I need the time away and to catch up with my mom.” Kara couldn’t help the small, but slightly awkward smile that graced her lips.

“Well, don’t be a stranger, Kara Zor-El,” J’onn said moving in to give her a hug.

“Never,” Kara replied, though she couldn’t help being thankful that J’onn’s telepathy didn’t work on Kryptonians. She couldn’t stop the sliver of doubt that was pinging part of her brain or, perhaps, she was just nervous about her mother. Yeah, that was it, it had to be. 

“Kaoshuh, J’onn,” Kara waved from the car before taking off to the dark side of the moon and Argo City.

****

Kara and her mother spoke about everything and nothing. It felt strange because many of her childhood belongings were around, small remnants of Krypton she never thought to see anywhere, but in her memories or dreams. Everything felt like Krypton, but wasn’t Krypton. It was a struggle not to cry, especially the first day. Not everyone was here, so much was lost, so many people, including her father. Both she and her mother had mostly talked around Zor-El and it was fine with Kara, she wasn’t ready to go down that road yet.

Alura took her around the city showing off new technologies, the sky scrapers, and gardens. The ruins they were still trying to rebuild. Kara was gazing up at a building’s waterfall, water trickling down the grooves in the wall design some droplets were escaping and bouncing around, lost in thought.

“Does it remind you of something?” Alura asked, as the water danced along the wall, not always staying in the grooves.

Kara couldn’t help but think this all felt too familiar. She blinked and turned to her mother, “It makes me miss flying.”

“What is it like?” Alura asked as she reached out to run her fingers through the water, they continued their walk toward the conservatory.

“Freeing. Peaceful.” Kara replied.

They are quiet for a moment, enjoying the tranquil sounds of people going about their day in the square.

“It must have been so hard,” Alura said as they got closer to the conservatory.

“What?” Kara replied

“Being alone, not just on Earth, but in the phantom zone,” Alura replied.

Kara stopped walking, swallowing hard, her eyes widening slightly, jaw clenching.

Alura had kept going, but quickly realized that her daughter had stopped. Alura turned back and gently touched Kara’s arm.

“The phantom zone was the worst, it was just so…quiet,” Kara replied, tears welling slowly into her eyes.

Alura, tears also in her eyes, moved them to a benched area.

“I know it’s not the same at all, but when we got to Argo, it was quiet, being in the house, without you or your father.”

“I found that the prayers helped,” Kara whispered, looking at her feet. “It felt like home was still there, somewhere.”

Alura wrapped an arm around Kara’s shoulders, pulling her in close, but could not help but chuckle, “You’re saying it took being trapped in a space ship, for years, to get you to perform your prayers?”

Kara froze for a moment, but then joined, heartily, in the laughter.

After a bit, Alura, spoke, “Come on let me show you the conservatory.”

****

“Selena had to have another plan for getting to earth,” Kara spoke watching Lir-al escort Thara away, presumably to go to the medical building. Kara’s fingers curled into fists; this entire trip was starting to feel wrong.

“I agree, Zor-El, had been working on a transmat portal, to save those of Krypton, but he never finished,” Alura replied.

“Where?” Kara asked.

“Where else, his lab?” Alura replied with a small smile.

Kara eyes light up and she couldn’t help her grin.

Alura and Kara looked through the lab, lost in their own thoughts for a while.

“I miss him, too,” Kara said, as she examined the room that was so familiar, but so odd to be in now.

“Some days are easier than others,” Alura said looking through the books strewn over Zor-El’s desk. She met Kara’s eyes, “It’s much easier now.”

Kara nodded her head, gently, and smiled at her mother. “Did you find anything?” Kara moved over to the desk.

“There is a lot here, but nothing looks familiar.”

Kara saw a notebook in one corner of the desk, “What is this?” Kara picked it up, “It’s one of his journals.”

“I thought I had gathered them all together, but I have not been down here in ages.”

“I remember him writing in those every day,” Kara smiled, “Did he spend time transferring his data into the system?” Kara asked, looking at the digital screen behind his desk.

“He did,” Alura smiled, fondly, “he would spend hours mumbling to himself while he transcribed.” Kara gazed at the pages for a moment, flipping a few of them, on one page were the Kryptonian Girod, lovingly drawn. Kara ran her fingers over her father’s hand writing, he had transcribed them by hand into the front of the journal.

“I remember spending so much time in here with him speaking about all forms of science. It felt as if we were bouncing ideas off one another.”

Alura smiled, “Yes, it was hard to pry you out of here, let alone him.”

“I miss being in the garden with you as well, talking about history.”

Alura laughed lightly, “Yes, not your father’s favorite subject.”

Kara looked back down at the Kryptonian Girod. She had not thought about them in a long time. How had she lost track of them? Kara shook her head and focused back on the mission.

She moved over to the transmat portal’s keypad. “It looks like Selena and the other witches mostly got the portal working,” Kara said, she kept checking through the screens.

“But how would you get to earth? Wouldn’t you need a portal to walk through on the other side?” Alura was looking through some plans on another table.

“Yes, and the DEO has one, but I am not sure how we could contact them?” Kara said looking up from the panel, thinking for a moment.

When she turned to look at another shelf in the lab, her father’s journal was there. How had that happened? She had placed it back on the table, thinking to take it with her once they got the portal working.

She walked over to it and when she looked down at the page the journal was open to, the formula from Coville’s journal was staring back at her.

****

Kara felt like she was flying through a whirlpool and then she was jolted awake in J’onn car shaped space ship. She looked down at the steering wheel and then looked around. 

She was still in his garage. She looked around again. Looking for her mother. Looking for anything that looked like Argo City.

She felt a jolt and her eyes fell closed again.

****

She awoke on a meteor with what appeared to be ruins of some sort of civilization. She slowly stood up and started to walk. 

Everything was charred, mostly to ash, but fragments of steps, benches, buildings, seemed to be everywhere.

Kara began to run. Her breathing became shorter, heavier, more frantic. 

She was not sure where she was running to, but her body did not want to stay still. She tried to ignore the bones that were littered around the ruins. No, it couldn’t be it was too terrible to contemplate.

Before she could believe it, she was in the square, the building with the built-in water fall crumbled and broken.

She turned her head.

The bench she and her mother had sat one was shattered in pieces. Skeletons were also scattered around the square. People had been here. Transported from where? Krypton? They were all dead now.

Kara didn’t notice the tears streaming down her face.

She fell to her knees, unable to move.

“Did you really think anything of Krypton was saved?” A growling voice asked.

Kara looked up; Reign stood above her.

“We found this place, after the fight at Fort Raze, near the Blue Star,” Reign continued as if Kara was not there.

“Did you destroy it?” Kara asked, growling, her anger barely held in check.

“No.” Reign said running her hand along the broken waterfall. “It was like this. But we found what we needed. Argo City was ejected from Krypton with the protective field, as your father planned, but it appears it failed.”

Kara was breathing heavily, but suddenly something clicked into place in her mind. Coville’s Journal. The incident with his followers.

“Harun-El,” Kara ground out, getting to her feet and grabbing Reign, roughly, around the neck, not holding back.

A snarl ran across Reign’s features, as she easily broke Kara’s hold.

“Yes, though not for anything you can imagine.” Reign laughed and suddenly she was gone.

“I will stop you.” Kara’s roar seeming to cause her to float into the air.

Reign’s symbol was blazing on the ground of the former courtyard below her.

****

“Ahhhhhhhhh,” Kara finally let herself, truly, fully scream, but now she was floating just above J’onn’s space ship. She was holding back trying not to let her powers get more out of control, but it was too late, her heat vision activated, as she screamed turning her head toward the ceiling in adject pain. Moments later, two holes, burst through the roof of the garage and the laser beams could be seen clear to the evening sky. Kara had no idea how long she howled, but eventually she collapsed into the car, crying herself into an edgy sleep.

****

“Alex!” Supergirl burst into Alex’s office, so rarely used. 

“You’re back,” Alex shot out of her chair, moving to hug Kara, “already,” her voice raising on the last word, as a question.

“I was never gone,” Kara started to explain stepping back out of the hug, “The witches are here and Reign isn’t gone.”

“What do you mean?” Alex’s confusion clear on her face.

“We need to gather the team,” was Kara’s short reply.

“Well, you’re in luck, most of us are here already,” Kara looked at her curiously, “Sam is sick again. J’onn is with Myr’nn though.”

“So, you’re saying you never left earth?” Mon-el replied after hearing Supergirl explain what had happened to her. They were in the conference room along with Lena and Winn.

“I was in J’onn’s garage the entire time.”

“If that is tru…” Mon-el began.

“…how did we get more Harun-El.” Lena said concluding his thought.

“Magic,” Winn said with an unsuppressed grin.

“Perhaps I can be of assistance,” a measured voice spoke from the hallway.

“How are you here?” Winn asked turning toward the conference room door.

“Imra,” Mon-el said smiling at her.

“Did you use the nanny cam?” Kara asked, a slight grin on her face, as Imra and Brainy entered the room

“What-,” Winn looked at Kara, then at Brainy.

“If you, mean, did I use the tracker I placed in my gift of dirt to Winn, then, yes, we used that.” Brainy finished matter-of-factly.

“I feel so betrayed,” Winn dramatically gasped. Alex nudged him in the side.

“Why did you come back?” Lena asked moving to stand near Supergirl and Brainy.

“Well, Brainy said he sens—” Imra started

A mixture of rumbling and crashing came from the command center below them. 

Supergirl whooshed out of the conference room, Mon-el fast on her heals.

Kara saw Selena land in the command center already using her heat vision to pick off DEO agents. Agents were scattering around the floor, trying to find cover and fight back at the same time. It was chaos. 

“What are you doing here?” Kara growled moving to block Selena from killing more agents.

“Why would I tell you, get out of my way,” Selena snarled back moving her arm back to punch Supergirl.

Kara smoothly evaded her punch while swinging herself around to push Selena toward the landing area. Trying to get her outside. Mon-el came up to Selena’s other side and Selena swerved her attention to him. The three of them soon began a dance of fighting.

“Looks like there are two more,” Alex said moving to follow Vita back down the hallway. “I’m going to get some more fire power and try and reach Sam and Ruby.”

Imra went to follow her, “Stay with Lena, Winn, and Brainy.” Alex saw Demos, a few doors down, and motioned for him to join those in the conference room.

“What are they looking for?” Lena asked Brainy.

“I believe they are looking for the blood of the other Worldkillers, to revive Reign.”

“Well, shit,” was Lena’s quiet reply.

“That can’t be good,” Winn said at the same time. Demos nodded his head tersely in agreement.

Alex quietly went into the armory to retrieve the kryptonite bullets for the new gun Winn had made her. She then started to make her way back toward the lab.

Kara looked up when she heard a loud crash. Mon-el stayed focused on Selena, trying to evade her freeze breath. Imra was embedded into the wall across from the lab. Ayala had thrown her so hard it almost shattered the wall.

“They are after the Worldkillers’ blood,” Imra shouted as she crawled out of the wall to keep fighting Ayala, who had started moving back inside the conference room.

Time seemed to slow down for Kara, as she saw Alex fighting Vita and then Lena was running toward the lab, toward the danger. Demos had pushed Ayala hard out of the conference room and now he and Imra were battling her on the upper hallway. Alex was suddenly thrown into one corner of the lab and Vita was charging her and then a bullet fired.

“Kara,” Kara tilted her head toward Mon-el, her eyes never leaving where the lab was located, even as she held one of Selena’s arms in a vice grip. “Go, I’ve got Selena.”

Kara whooshed up to the lab, instantly, but froze when she saw that Vita had Lena’s arm in her grip, though Kryptonite was running up the veins in her neck. Kara spared a glance at Alex’s gun and looking up to see the worry on Alex’s face. It was directed toward Lena. The grip Vita had could crush Lena’s arm, even tear her arm off, in Vita’s other hand were the blood vials. Kara felt a frenzied fire boil up in her.

“Let her go. Your fight is with me,” Kara said coldly and calmly, the air seemed to have left the room. Vita merely sneered at Kara and squeezed Lena’s arm harder causing her to groan in pain. Kara moved faster than a breath and grabbed Vita around her throat and her forearm. Kara crushed part of her forearm forcing Vita to release Lena’s arm, as she let out a shriek of pain. Kara shifted her body to block most of Lena from view. As the pained sound left Vita’s body, she arched her back and aimed her heat vision at Lena, regardless of Kara’s deadly grip.

A violent growl rolled into a roar, as it left Kara’s lips, her entire body seemed to strengthen, her eyes on fire, and she flew them toward the center of the DEO, breaking through the lab windows, away from Sam, Ruby, and Alex. Away from Lena. 

As they flew, glass falling away from them, the blood vials fell from Vita’s other arm, as she struggled to free herself from Kara’s iron grip. 

Selena saw the vials falling and leapt for them, kicking Mon-el to the ground behind her.

At the same moment, Kara shifted her heat vision and burned Selena’s hand holding the vials, just as she caught them.

A commotion was heard where Ayala, Imra, and Demos were fighting. 

“Demos, your, belt,” Winn shouted as he poked his head outside the conference room. 

Imra was distracted and Ayala took her opening, using her heat vision on Demos, to make her way toward Kara and Vita.

Everyone heard Winn’s pained “No!” as he rushed toward Demos.

Ayala flew toward Kara trying to get to Vita. 

“We need to get out of here,” Selena said, a thread of fear flowing through her voice, her eyes never leaving Kara.

Kara was still holding Vita, but she let go when she saw Ayala starting her heat vision and pointing it toward Winn and Brainy who had moved a bit outside the conference room to check on Demos. Brainy seemed to have a black eye forming.

“No,” Kara growled and flew closer to Selena and Ayala, the color in her eyes starting to shift to a red-gold. 

Ayala took her chance and aimed at Supergirl, who let go of Vita. Ayala caught Vita and the witches flew out of the DEO.

Kara was still growling, eyes glowing red-gold, as she floated just above the floor, her body crunched and ready for flight, about to follow. All her thoughts turned toward defeating her enemies.

“Supergirl, we need to regroup,” Mon-el said calmly, but loudly, from where he was embedded in the floor. Her head turned toward him, aggression clear in the lines of her body and her red-gold eyes.

“As do they,” Alex added stepping out of the lab with Lena, careful of the glass scattered everywhere. “We need to figure out where they are. What they are up to.” Lena couldn’t seem to tear her eyes off of, a clearly still enraged, Supergirl.

“What just happened?” Mon-el asked looking at the damage wrought across the DEO and the fallen body of Demos on the floor above.

****

Kara couldn’t stop pacing, her body felt charged. She hated waiting. They needed to find the witches. The needed to stop Reign. Alex had told her to pace somewhere else, while she and Lena went to check on Sam and Ruby.

Kara eventually found herself back in the row of offices, as she passed J’onn’s she recognized Coville’s Journal. She froze, back stepped, and went to read the journal.

“I’ve stabilized her, but there is not much more I can do.” Lena whispered to Alex in the hallway, as she watched Ruby crawl into the bed with her mother.

“Do you think stopping Reign, would sever the connection?” Alex asked running a hand through her short hair.

“I can’t see why it wouldn’t.” Lena said turning back to meet Alex’s eyes. 

Suddenly, the building started to shake.

“What the….” Alex said moving toward a set of windows, Lena close on her heals.

When they looked around everyone had come out of their various rooms, but Alex only had eyes for Kara. Her eyes were red-gold, again. What the hell was going on? Stupid Kryptonians. Stupid magic. 

Kara was looking outside, but turned to meet Alex’s eyes, “I know where they are, but we have another problem on our hands now.”

“Everything is going crazy, tsunamis, superstorms, earthquakes…” Winn was rattling off events like a devil’s wish list.

“It’s starting,” Brainy said the only person effectively ignoring Kara’s eyes and her, frankly, scary demeanor. “The Worldkiller.”

****

The victory was short lived, as the earthquakes may have stopped, but storms were still ragging across the earth. Reign had to be stopped, defeated. 

Kara ensured everyone was back at the DEO and headed back toward the landing area.

“Kara,” Alex whispered, trying not to show her fear of her sister, but failing to hide it. Kara had been fearsome, while working to minimize the damage, as J’onn and Myr’nn worked to slow Reign down, as she tunneled through the earth. Alex knew that Reign had to be stopped, but she didn’t want Kara to go alone.

Kara turned her head to the side, so her red-gold eyes could be seen, but did not turn around to face Alex.

“I have to do this, Alex,” Kara said resolutely, steel resonating off of her presence, “There is no one else. I am the fourth Worldkiller. I am Power.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Alex’s voice had taken on a frantic note.

“Coville’s Journal, I read the rest of it today,” Kara finally turned toward Alex, “I…” Kara cut herself off, “I am the only one who can do this. Reign has to be defeated or everything will be lost.”

Alex finally met her sister’s unearthly red-gold eyes.

“Okay, but you can’t go in without some back up and, maybe, power dampening cuffs.”

Kara nodded firmly and followed Alex back to the command center.

“Wait, so they are like the four horsemen of the apocalypse?” Winn asked, trying and failing to hide his geek out. J’onn couldn’t help the small sigh he let out.

Kara raised her eyebrow a little, having, finally, been able to tamp down her power enough that her eyes were normal.

“Sorry,” Winn said raising his hands in defeat.

Coville’s Journal was open in the center of the command area and everyone was circled around, figuring out a plan to assist Supergirl.

“You are correct, Winn,” Brainy said “and they are going to want to continue the terraforming, through the Cauldron that they have created to initiate the Worldkiller.”

“So, this Cauldron, they have created, appears to be a tunnel into the earth’s core,” Lena said looking at the drawings in the journal, “we’re going to need a forcefield to stop them from reactivating it,” Lena said looking toward Brainy for confirmation.

He merely nodded in agreement.

“I can do that,” Imra said. 

“I can go in with Super….” Mon-el started.

“No,” Supergirl replied flatly in a voice that broached no argument, “I have the power to defeat Reign and I am not worried about the witches. I will take the power dampening cuffs to subdue them, so I can focus on Reign.”

“You make it sound easy,” Alex scoffed, worry clear in the lines of her body.

Kara looked between her and J’onn, slowly.

“Alright, Supergirl, we’ll do this your way, but at the first sign of true danger, we are coming in to assist you.” J’onn said trying to cut through the tension.

“You can stay on the ship.” Kara’s reply was immediate and hard as steel. 

****

“El Mayarah, Kara Zor-El,” Reign said, as she turned away from the force field covering the Cauldron, “or should I say Girl of Steel. Or do you prefer Supergirl?” Kara bared her teeth at Reign.

Are you finally here to join your sisters?” Selena added with a menacing smile.

“Not this side of Rao,” Kara said her eyes starting to glow and her hands curling into tight fists, as she floated just above the ground.

“Don’t you mean Yuda Kal, this is what your father wanted, some would even say, that your mother helped him with this endeavor,” Selena continued as if she was not surrounded by two of the most powerful beings to exist on Krypton or Earth.

Kara’s growl resonated inside her body and through the air, “Don’t speak of my parents.”

“Why not?” Selena said moving in front of Reign, as if she and Kara were meeting to discuss what to do about dinner. “You don’t seem to know much about them. Did you read the journal?”

Kara couldn’t quite hide her flinch, “Ah, you did, so you know that your father worked many years of his life for this moment. That they knew Krypton was dying, and yet they failed to truly save anyone?”

Selena had moved dangerously close to Kara, her sisters fanning out, trying to trap Kara.

Kara could sense them moving, as if her body was connected to the earth beneath her and the air around her.

“Did he?” Kara responded before she began to spin like a tornado in the air shifting to bounce off the stone walls. She quickly dispatched of Ayala and Vita, locking them in the cuffs that she had hidden on the back of her belt. In taking them off, she had ripped the back of her skirt.

Selena had run behind a large spike of Harun-El, “Well, he sent us to earth along with the Worldkillers, so Krypton could be reborn,” Selena taunted.

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Kara growled right in Selena’s face, as she used her freeze breath to shatter the Harun-El spike and grabbed Selena around the neck while she cuffed her.

“How do you think you are going to stop me,” Reign said from behind Kara ready to swing the Sword of Juru right through her throat. Kara quickly shifted on her feet, stopping Reign’s arm inches from her throat.

“By physical force,” Kara replied shoving herself back into Reign so they slammed into the rock wall across the cave.

“You,” Reign taunted as they continued to crush through the rock wall, “I beat you before, why do you think you can defeat me now?”

“Because I am Power and I am the hurricane and the tsunami. I am more than equal strength.” Kara replied, her entire body started to glow red-gold, as she hurled Reign over her by the curved end of the Sword of Juru. Kara quickly slammed her hands together, as Reign smoothly landed, creating the sound force, knocking Reign off her feet entirely and into the earth.

Reign groaned as she was slammed six feet into the ground by the force of Power’s sound force. Power was floating above the ground getting ready to hit her again, when Reign got her legs under her and flew at full speed into Power. They were hurled into the sky.

As they cleared the cave, the Legion’s cruiser could be seen. 

Reign pulled back and flew away, using the sword to create hail stones to throw at Power, as she escaped. 

Power easily deflected them and paused and nodded at the ship and looked down to the cave before speeding to catch up to Reign. 

Soon Power was directly on Reign’s tail, her damaged skirt flapping on uselessly around her middle. She reached down and ripped it the rest of way off. She needed to get the sword away from Reign. It wasn’t at full potency, without the Cauldron activated by the Harun-El, but the sword could still create a wave of death and destruction on its own.

The world was flying by, they were soon over Toronto, when Reign grinned widely at her and flew down to destroy several bridges. 

Kara quickly grappled to fix them behind her, but there was no way she could fix it all and keep up with Reign at the same time. She did what she could and kept moving.

Next, Reign was over New York City and sank under the Hudson River. Kara was flying over the river using her now enhanced x-ray vision to try and spot her, but Reign was being stealthy.

Before Kara knew it, Reign was lifting a Staten Island ferry clear out of the water and throwing it.

Kara caught it, as gently as possible, and deposited it back in the water just before it hit the Statue of Liberty.

The red-gold of Kara’s body seemed to intensify, as she looked down at the people gathering to take photos. Her body was a living flame. She had had enough and dove under the water herself.

Reign had stopped flying and was looking for her.

Kara counted to three and then she burst out of the water, spinning like a corkscrew, the water whirling around her adding to the thunderstorm over New York City. She kept spinning until she grabbed Reign’s cape from behind and then propelled her across the Atlantic Ocean with the might of an Olympic god.

Power could tell Reign was pissed, her mask lost to the ocean in the spinning from being thrown, and they reverted back to hurling punches like the gods of old, pushing one another across the skies, through the clouds, and down into the ocean, several times. At one point, Power and Reign were so tangled in their fisticuffs, that Power torn one of Reign’s sleeves off. They kept moving until they were over the Norwegian Sea. Storm clouds surrounding them.

Reign was trying to cut one of Power’s arm off with the sword, but only succeeded in tearing the sleeve from shoulder to forearm. Their fighting was causing more storms to appear and the existing ones to boil over like a pot on the fire too long. 

“You will never stop me. You are weak!” Reign shouted as she gained a hold on Power and held the sword at her chest ready to go for the kill.

“I am mightier than you. I am Power.” Kara scream-growled, as she grabbed the sword with her hands and freed herself from Reign’s grip, spinning to catch her and held her, so the blade was pressed into Reign’s throat.

“You don’t have the resolution needed to get it done,” Reign replied calm in her certainty, “You are weak.”

Kara froze for a moment and then snarled into Reign’s face, “Sometimes war requires the moxie to extinguish a life, no matter the cost. Peace is rarely won with eloquent words alone.” 

Reign screamed into Power’s face, shoving the blade away from her so hard that it broke in half, the curved edge falling into the sea.

Reign started to lau---

“You forgot about the other end,” Power replied her eyes never leaving Reign’s face.

Reign looked down to her stomach where the remained of the blade was lodged. She then looked up to a red-gold, glowing Power, her eyes now dancing flames.

Power removed the blade and swung it back until she cut Reign’s head off. Moments later Reign disintegrated, as she fell toward the sea. Leaving nothing to chance, Power used her freeze breath on the particles and then burned through them with her heat vision, until only she remained, flying in the maelstrom left behind in Reign's wake, gazing down at the cold sea below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think of this as slightly askew to the ending that exists in the show. I saw the end of season 3, as an inflection point for Kara's growth that we did not get to experience as a viewer. 
> 
> I hope it is obvious where I skipped over scenes from the end of Season 3 that I am keeping unchanged.


	2. Chapter 1

Cat easily wove her way left and right around the people milling on the sidewalk, even though it was pretty crowded in this part of town, as summer was in its early stage, which always meant more tourists. The bar she entered had clean lines and a clean floor though the wood that adorned the bar area and the design of the tables and chairs was clearly meant to echo the stereotypical pubs that seemed to exist in every town.

“Well, I have to say, I wasn’t expecting to find you in Stockholm, but I am not surprised to find you in a bar like this one.” Cat said as she unnecessary swept crumbs off the chair before she sat down across from Snapper.

“What can I say, I’m finishing my sabbatical by traveling around to try all the different pastries in Europe.” Snapper replied his eyes not leaving the television over Cat’s shoulder.

“And the beer is what a palette cleanser?” Cat responded with a sour expression on her face.

Snapper deliberately took another sip of his beer, as he finally met her eyes.

There was a lull in the conversation while Cat ordered a whiskey neat and the pan-fried herring.

“So why the call and meeting, I thought you were in a yurt somewhere finding yourself?” Snapper asked as he grabbed a few fries off of his plate.

“Oh, that was last year, I’ve been press secretary for a while, but I think I am done with that career choice. Too many restrictions,” Cat said as she nodded her thanks to the waiter for bringing her drink so promptly and took a sip.

“So why meet me here?”

“Who doesn’t want to visit Europe? Plus, I resigned as press secretary and needed a break before getting back in the game,” Cat smiled a bit at Snapper, her blue eyes gleaming with some mysterious excitement.

“Which game would that be?”

“The news game,” Cat calmly replied.

“Well, I need to come back from my sabbatical.” Snapper paused here for both of them and for effect. “If I still have a job, there are some changes I would like to make,” Snapper said around a sip of beer.

“What kind of changes?” Cat said raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve been traveling around and I want to bring that world view back with me and give it back to Americans,” Snapper replied seriously while looking Cat dead in the eye.

“We are on the same page then. America is part of this world and we have to stop acting like we are above it or aside of it,” Cat leaned forward as she got more and more serious. Snapper was nodding at her in agreement.

“Are you offering to let me keep my job, Cat,” Snapper asked as he took another sip of his beer.

Cat then smiled and stole a fry. Snapper watched her do it, but said nothing.

“Hmmm, we may need to create more than one publication. Perhaps even a podcast or two.” Cat continued thoughtfully, ideas whirling around in her mind.

“One problem Cat,” Snapper said as he also took a fry off his plate.

Cat raised an eyebrow while bringing her whiskey glass to her lips.

“Doesn’t Lena Luthor own Catco now?” 

Cat merely rolled her eyes toward the ceiling as she took a big sip of her whiskey.

****

Why had Lena thought getting a penthouse apartment was the way to go? There were perfectly lovely apartments that weren’t at the top of buildings that also had balconies. But when she had mentioned, finally, getting a place of her own to live in National City that wasn’t a hotel suite to her colleagues, several directors and even her assist had pushed the idea of a penthouse. She went along with it because it seemed what the head of a company should do for their image and the prestige, but part of Lena couldn’t help but think it was a bit ridiculous. It took longer than she thought to move in. She had to get items out of storage and purchase new furniture and kitchen items. At least the apartment was close to work, she hated long commutes.

Lena was in her closet taking some dresses out of boxes while lost in her thoughts.

“Meow,” a tiny animal noise issued from the floor behind her.

Lena turned, raising an eyebrow, “Well, Percy, I have to get this done and you seem perfectly happy getting cat hair all over my shoes.” There was a little ‘meep’ in response to her as Percy, an orange tabby she adopted a week after moving into the penthouse, shifted into a tiny ball. Lena figured if she was going to take the plunge and begin to truly make National City her home, she might as well stop denying herself the pet she had been wanting. Though she hoped she didn’t regret all the cat hair she was going to have to keep off her clothes. Maybe she should warn the dry cleaners? If she was being truthful with herself, it was the silence in her penthouse that started getting to her. Everything seemed to be so quiet these days. Percy certainly kept things interesting around here. A tiny smile flittered across Lena’s face as she watched Percy yawn, before she turned back to the task as at hand. Guess she was jumping into life in National City, finally.

“Thank you for seeing me,” Cat smiled as she entered her old office that was now James’. He was off on an emergency assignment to photograph a protest in Midway City. Lena wanted the best photographer on the story. Though James had insisted on taking the two lead photographers with him as well.

Lena was covering his other duties and using his office this week. This was, at least, what James had explained to Cat when she had called him about wanting a meeting. He had insisted that she speak to Lena and they could follow up once he was back in National City.

“Of course, Ms. Grant, lovely to see you again,” Lena said as she stood up and moved around the desk to shake Cat’s hand.

“Oh, yes, we both went to the Met Gala a few years ago. Not usually my scene, but it was fun,” Cat shook Lena’s hand and then they both moved to sit at the desk.

“It was certainly an interesting year for the gala,” Lena replied as she sat down.

Cat paused on her way to sitting down, her eyes rolled at the free weights still in the office, “I see James has not changed the decor in this office or his taste.”

“What can I do for you Ms. Grant?” Lena asked after Cat turned her attention away from the free weights. Lena’s green eyes piercing even the unshakable armor of Cat Grant.

“You get down to brass tacks, wonderful, a woman after my own heart, and, please call me Cat,” Cat smiled as she relaxed into the chair. “What are you doing here?”

Lena raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re an extremely intelligent, highly skilled woman, the CEO of L-Corp, a scientist, blah, blah, what are you doing running a media company? Or I suppose the media conglomerate arm of your company?” Cat finished.

“I thought it would be good experience, something new.”

“Yes, I can understand that, a way to see how your inventions are interpreted by the world. But you’ve created technology that has helped so many, better water pipes, longer lasting electric batteries for cars, cleaning up after superhero villains, etc. etc. Being here I am sure has inspired you. But don’t you miss being a force for the future?”

There was a long silence, Lena just gazing at Cat and vice versa. Lena picked up a pen and rolled it around her fingers. Neither of them blinked.

“You want Catco back,” Lena stated simply.

Cat let out a small sign, “you caught me, nothing gets past you does it,” Cat said a bit dramatically, waving a hand around uselessly.

“What are your plans for it?” Lena asked leaning back in her chair a bit.

“I have no plans to get rid of any components or departments, if that is your concern. Quite the contrary, I want to create some new departments. I think people need more news that is rigorous and more easily available. Yes, we may have the internet, but the real news stories are getting buried under click bait.” Cat was leaning forward, hoping she was winning this pitch. Well, she knew she was killing it, but was it enough to convince Lena Luthor?

“Catco Magazine provides some of that click bait,” was Lena’s calm reply. 

“We all want, and, to some degree, need click bait, it’s like eating that candy bar or snack food when you shouldn’t. It’s fine from time to time, but it should not be one’s main source of nutrition. But I want to make more important and diverse news stories available to more people.”

Lena leaned further back in her chair, processing, and was silent for a moment, holding her pen still between her hands, “I have to say, Cat, that sounds amazing and you seem motivated. Do you want to buy the company back, could you even do that right now?”

“I am no longer the President’s press secretary and my money and stocks are my own again, so yes, I can and do want to buy Catco Media back.”

Len was silent for a moment or two and looked out the office’s large windows, “I have been going back to L-Corp more and more these days. I would like to get back to the lab and push forward more technological developments. Frankly, I also would like to do more humanitarian and charitable work,” Lena said sitting forward again and putting her pen down.

“I think we are going to be seeing more of one another then,” Cat replied smiling. She then got up to go to for her hidden stash of M&M’s. When she reached the side bar she signed, “Why does James have to be so healthy?”

“What are you looking for?” Lena asked getting up to pour then both a drink. “James got rid of my chocolate stash.”

Lena couldn’t help but smile at Cat’s depressed face, “Well, we can always go get some sticky buns from Noonan’s,” Lena replied with a smile.

Cat grinned back at her as she took the whiskey glass offered to her. “I knew I liked you.”

****

Kara could still feel the power flowing over her and through her. It was immense, pulsing, it felt as if she was nestled within the center of the sun. Her body always felt charged on Earth, in a way it had not on Krypton, but this was shocking even to her. She starred down at the sea for a long time, still holding the hilt and broken half of the Sword of Juru. Her fist seemed to tighten even harder around the weapon. Kara took a breath, parts of her cape were glued to her, but the ends were flapping hard against her in different places as the raging storms had not dissipated yet. She was soaked, her hair plaster to her skin, but she didn’t feel the cold. She was unconsciously swaying back and forth with the storm, almost a part of it. The swirling sound of the wind had always been a welcome sound when she flew or floated and now was no different. She was trying to calm down, despite being able to hear how disrupted the earth was on every plane from sea to earth to sky from the Worldkiller. Kara had a feeling it was going to take time for these storms to end, they were too large to dissipate immediately. And the recovery was going to require so much work, despite the Super-friends and her succeeding in minimizing most of the damage. She should fly back to the witches’ cave and take care of them, the Harun-El, get back to the D.E.O….and she turned starting to fly back, but she kept looking down between the sea and the sword in her hand.

Suddenly, the extreme power flowing through her leveled up, it was starting to get out of control in a way she had felt while fighting Reign. She could feel it, her toes and fingers were tingling, her spin felt like it was elongating and every muscle in her body was taut. Kara started running through scenarios in her head, calculating possibilities, trajectories, equations, wind speeds, as she knew the force and power had to go somewhere – it wasn’t just going to disappear, not without causing more destruction. Kara made a decision if the force and power could not be stopped, she would use it. She began to fly, faster than she had ever flown before. She flew higher and higher into the atmosphere until she was in space, looking down on her adopted home, and she began to whirl around the earth, over and over again. She was faster than anything else on this planet and she, prayed to Rao, that it was enough. Kara’s entire body looked like a moving flame jumping and whirling from the sword all the way to her toes.

She had no idea how many times she did this, but as soon as she slowed down, everything felt a bit more normal, more in order. She began to fly back toward earth, she was starting to relax for the first time, in what felt like years, when she was somewhere over Canada and she let out a pained cry and the power was gone. It seemed to disperse from her body and she felt as if she could breathe again, the tension in her body gone, like a rubber band had finally snapped, after being stretched to its limit. In the rush of pain Kara released the now over heated Sword of Juru, it fell in to the water below. There were impressions along her palm from the handle, seared into her skin. Kara couldn’t look away from her hand, the marks on it.

One moment everything was roaring. Slamming. Another moment everything was silent. Falling. Then she felt upside down. She curled into herself. She was a ball. Then that didn’t help and she shot straight up. And up. And Away.

She went up forever, things became quiet, but then her heart was ripping from her chest.

She gasped, her eyes popping open, she was so close to the sun, and then she was falling again.

She spread herself out like a starfish.

But she kept falling. Her heart kept pounding. Her fingers felt numb.

Tears were falling from her eyes. Her mouth was hanging open.

She was breathing, but too hard as if she had just thrown Fort Raze into space or had fought one hundred enemies.

Some how she closed her eyes again. It provided small relief. 

She could smell everything one moment and nothing another.

She could hear the world and then nothing but the air.

Was she dying? It felt like she was, in many ways, it was what she deserved. It would be better for the world. She was a bringer of death.

Memories started to flood her mind. Memories of Krypton. Her mother. Her father. Her aunt. Her home.

Kara shook her head violently and then began to scream, all of the pain seeming to flow out of her. Eventually, the only sound was the wind and rain and clouds rushing past her as she fell toward earth. She tried to focus, to fly, to slow herself down, to just float, nothing seemed to be working.

More memories were flooding her mind, but this time they were words. Words she hadn’t allowed herself to think about in so long. They seemed to gong, to deeply ring, in her brain, in her soul. Was she saying them out loud? Or was it all in her head? Was this the moment before death?

_Gazrhyg_

_Jahghah_

_Ighai_

_Uchahvia_

_Urvish_

_Zhguzhor_

_Tahrao_

_Zehdh_

_Urkynon_

_Shokh_

_Shahrrehth_

Kara let the words flow through her mind as she continued to fall back toward the ground. She felt her cape slapping around her, she felt her ripped suit sleeve pulling away from her bicep. 

She felt so trapped. The closer she got to the ground the more constrained she felt. She began to pull her hair almost trying to wake herself up with the pain. Frustrated growls escaped between the panicked gasps and jerky movements of her body as she struggled to stop her momentum. 

Her ripped sleeve kept pulling and Kara could not take it anymore, she reached over and pulled the sleeve off of her suit. Her arm felt free. A frenzy took her over and she torn the rest of her suit off of her body and splayed herself out as if the clouds were a bed she was reclined upon. 

For a moment everything seemed under control. Kara had forgotten everything, Reign, becoming Power, her suit, cape and boots, all falling to the ground. Kara was a being floating, no obligations, no expectations, worries. It was euphoric, but, sadly, it was short lived.

Another panic attached began and nothing she tried was calming her down, even her normal abilities seemed to not be working. She tried to stop herself, to float under her own powers. 

But it wasn’t working, she fanned her fingers out reaching for the air particles to manipulate her body into, at least, floating, if not flying. 

Nothing.

Kara frantically tried time and time again and the panic took over throwing her body equilibrium out of whack, her entire being felt as if it was being torn apart. 

This time… this time she just leaned into it. If this was her end, so be it.

Eventually she blacked out. Kara continued to fall.

The earth seeming to reach up like a breaching whale to swallow her into its dark, deep embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Below is the basic translation for the Girod or the eleven Kryptonian virtues:
> 
> Gazrhyg (Industriousness)   
> Jahghah (Restraint)  
> Ighai (Purity)  
> Uchahvia (Synergy)  
> Urvish (Peace)   
> Zhguzhor (Imagination)  
> Tahrao (Justice)   
> Zehdh (Belonging)  
> Urkynon (Altruism)  
> Shokh (Truth)  
> Shahrrehth (Hope)
> 
> This website (http://kryptonian.info/doyle/kryptonian-culture/flag-and-virtues.html) has more information, if you are interested.
> 
> There are a few aspects of Kryptonian physiology and powers that may seem different from the show in this story. Like so many, I am frustrated the show did not utilize/showcase Kara's Kryptonian powers consistently.  
> So, in this story, as in the comics, Kryptonians can essentially breath in space and underwater. They are powered by the sun, similar to trees, so in reality they do not need much sleep, or food, they need the solar radiation from the sun. But since trees do need nutrition/food, Kryptonians do need food, so, yes, Kara eats and loves food. I head canon that she loves certain foods so much because her body needs the nutrients in those foods. Of course, some foods she just loves because they are delicious. 
> 
> She is just as powerful as her cousin and the show pushes the idea that she is stronger and faster, etc. than Kal-El. I head canon (and there is evidence in the comics) that the reason for this is that she grew up and lived on Krypton for 13 years and that makes her body almost a hybrid on our planet. Because her body grew almost to adulthood on Krypton, her body is denser and when she came to earth that translated to her being even more powerful under our yellow sun. Kara Zor-El is the most powerful being on Earth.


End file.
